Reported toilet problem 3 times, never got fixed.
Noone had cell service in rooms other than downstairs due to the change in tower service.
Disappointed that management didn't take in consideration that this was our second time staying at hotel , and wouldn't give us not even a small discount due to the fact that we had no choice but to stay another day , and that our flight was changed due to hurricane.
Was planning a group visit , but will search somewhere else next time.
Management should be more friendly.

5 out of 5

by A verified traveler from US

Very nice hotel with lots to do

Posted Nov 24, 2016

We stayed for 7 days and there was never a dull moment. We would highly recommend this hotel and would definitely go back!

3 out of 5

by A verified traveler from US

Posted Nov 22, 2016

Beds are rock hard and the pillows are so small it takes the 4 that they give you to make one reg size. Buffet is not the best.

3 out of 5

by A verified traveler from Morristown, NJ

Nice hotel close to beach but Food/Bed not so good

Posted Nov 20, 2016

This hotel is ok for an all-inclusive but there is not much around it in case you are looking for that. We made day trips to Coco Beach (15 min by boat or 30 min by car) and Tamarindo (1 hr by car). The hotel says there are 5 restaurants but usually only 2 or 3 are open at any given time. The food quality is average at best. The rooms are fine but the beds are rock hard. The beaches are fine with darker sand with swimming areas and activities like snorkel, paddle boards, kayak, and jet ski. The pool area, while nice, is very loud pretty much the entire day with blaring music and dancing contests with a loud pa speaker system. We opted for the beach instead. The bars are fine but the bar service can be slow at times. Most of the bars close by 10pm or 11pm, so you have to go to the Sports Bar, which while open 24/7 is kind of dingy with a pool table, fussball and ping pong. There are some TV's but they often don't have any big games from the U.S. As for the entertainment, they have featured shows at 9pm each night. The dancing and music are fine but the shows are all lip sync, so don't get your hopes up. For the price, this place is fine, but make plans to visit other places while you are there. If you rent a car and drive around, make sure you get a 4x4 and avoid Route 911, which is a dirt road connecting Tamarindo and Hotel Riu (very bumpy and dangerous, with several rivers you have to cross and you may not make it!). Good luck!

5 out of 5

by A verified traveler from US

we will come back!

Posted Nov 13, 2016

Pros: The shows and the hotel in general

Cons: The "mexican food" at the buffet wasn't good.

Location: Because of the rain we couldn't do any tours.

We specially love the night shows and the swimming pools, at the buffet the food was just ok but at the other restaurants was great, beautiful place in the middle of the jungle, like a lot of the guess said is a paradise!

3 out of 5

by A verified traveler from McKinney, United States of America

Dining Procedure (almost) spoiled it all

Posted Nov 11, 2016

Pros: Beautiful beach and freindly staff

Cons: Dining reservations

Location: Need to do the Zip lining near by... expensive but worth every cent!

While the hotel sits in a beautiful spot, the rooms are specious and feature a great view and the staff is extremely friendly, the hotel messes completely up with the dining reservations or the lack thereof. In a very RIU untypical style the hotel wants you to stand in line for 30 mins before the restaurants open to get a seat for the same night. Comes 7PM all the restaurants are sold out and there is no way to submit another reservation for the following day. We brought this issue up with the hotel manager Alejandra who was very helpful in accommodating us for the same night in their Asian restaurant. it seems that she was familiar with this major flaw for an all inclusive hotel. We certainly hope that the local management will find a way back to a traditional reservation list or alternatively hire more staff to accommodate the guests (There was never a shortage of tables!). Also, please dont shut two of the five restaurants during some of the weekdays... People are getting tired to the self service main restaurant food. Other than that... we enjoyed a great vacation with super drinks and broadway like shows! Keep it up!

2 out of 5

by A verified traveler from US

Posted Nov 8, 2016

Location: Not far from air port
Close to animal sanctuary

Air conditioner did not work
Bed was hard
Pillows were horrible
Waited 6 hours for laundry bag

Relaxing

Pros: This hotel attracts very nice people from all over the world. It was a joy to interact with fun loving people from different parts of the world.

Cons: The only negative experience was on check out day. The cleaning staff prevented us from using the elevators. we ended up carrying our luggage 4 floors

Location: The location is rather remote, however you do have the option to hire a driver to take you where ever you want. Local prices are surprising high

Very well maintained. The landscaping was fantastic. Staff very friendly. We had a couple of minor bumps along the way, but they were easily resolved.

5 out of 5

by A verified traveler from Oregon

Beautiful resort. Close to the beach.

Posted Nov 1, 2016

Pros: Having everything so close. Loved our room. Anna was the best housekeeper. Very friendly. The pool so pretty and all the dining rooms were nice. Very clean place. The staff helpful, very nice and always cleaning.

Cons: The complaint is what we read about. There is an odor by the swim up bar and especially on the back side of that bar. It smells like vomit. But my husband said it is actually the sewer waste. It was very bad at times.

Location: We drove to Ricon Park (volcano). Saw a sloth, and hiked to the waterfall. A good workout, and saw monkeys, birds and butterflies. Snorkeled, zipline